Epic Disembark in Barcelona

[AK Dreaming]

What is a reasonable time to expect to be off the ship in Barcelona? We are planning a trip for the end of June and the flights home are earlier that I usually feel comfortable. However it says 5:00 am so if we can easily be off the ship by 6 and at the airport by 8:30 a 10:40 seems OK?

Any help for this Europe first timer very appreciated.

[Petitbotcottage]

As you say, the ship docks at 5.00am and there is no problem in getting off straight away. You can easily be at the airport by 6.30am/ 7.00am by any method you desire, transfer or taxi.

[NCLfamily]

I doubt you'll get off the ship at 6am. However, last year we were less than an hour from cabin to Airport security at Barcelona. Lots of taxis waiting on the pier and it's 20/25 minute drive.

 

 

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[King of Cruising]

I wouldn't push it. You have to clear customs and the ship has to clear also. Better safe than sorry!!!

Enjoy your cruise and that wonderful ship.;p

[NCLfamily]

Worst case scenario you're off by 7.45, you'll still be at the airport for 8.30

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

I wouldn't push it. You have to clear customs and the ship has to clear also.

Customs is basically non-existent for disembarking guests on this itinerary. They do still have to clear the ship, but whatever that involves, it also typically happens very quickly, and disembarkation starts very soon after the ship docks.

 

 

I would feel more comfortable on a weekend than on a weekday, but either way, I would say the OP's flight is easily doable, as long as they don't mind getting an early start on the last day.

[King of Cruising]

Customs is basically non-existent for disembarking guests on this itinerary. They do still have to clear the ship, but whatever that involves, it also typically happens very quickly, and disembarkation starts very soon after the ship docks.

 

 

I would feel more comfortable on a weekend than on a weekday, but either way, I would say the OP's flight is easily doable, as long as they don't mind getting an early start on the last day.

I am speaking of customs at the airport, depending on how many ships are disembarking, this could take some time.

[Seanote]

I am speaking of customs at the airport, depending on how many ships are disembarking, this could take some time.

There is no customs at BCN. Passport control and security, yes and they move pretty swiftly. Your longest tie-up is likely to be the check-in line for your airline. Two hours early should be sufficient.

[BNL1213]

I was on the Epic in August and had a 10:40am flight out of Barcelona. I did the express walk off with my luggage around 7am. There was a bit of a line disembarking the ship, but once off, I got right into a cab and was at the airport in 20 minutes, at approximately 7:45. I sat around for quite awhile waiting for my flight, in fact was so early that I had to wait for my airline's check in desk to open. You will be fine with that flight time.

[Always Cruising]

BNL - do you remember the approximate cost of the cab from the port to Barcelona airport? Thanks in advance!

[NMLady]

BNL - do you remember the approximate cost of the cab from the port to Barcelona airport? Thanks in advance!

 

I'm not BNL but IIRC it was about 39 Euros.

[Always Cruising]

Thank you!

[hawkeyetlse]

I am speaking of customs at the airport, depending on how many ships are disembarking, this could take some time.

You wrote "You have to clear customs and the ship has to clear also", which is a very strange way of referring to customs at the airport, but OK. There is no customs at the airport, as Seanote explained. There is security screening and (for flights leaving Schengen) passport control, and it's true that the lines can be unpredictable, which is why they typically tell you to get to the airport 3 hours before, to be on the safe side. It sounds like the OP is comfortable with cutting it to 2 hours (and I would say that is sufficient for BCN), but even if they wanted to get there at 7:40 for their 10:40 flight, that would be totally doable with a 5am arrival time, even assuming various run-of-the-mill delays here and there.

[huskypup]

Just got off the Epic on Friday after a transatlantic - they halted disembarkation at one point due to hold ups in the terminal (3 ships docked at one) - we left our cabin at 8 finally got off ship at 0930 hrs, then had to queue 30 mins for a taxi into Barcelona (which is a very organised queue with controllers allocating you taxis).

 

Barcelona airport on Sunday was also nightmare - took nearly 2 hours from arriving at the airport to getting through security and customs.

 

But we had a great cruise met some lovely people drank and ate far too much and are pricing it up to do it all again but in reverse in Nov 18.

[stephenp]

Normally is Europe when the ship stays in EU waters there should be no Custom control as such, custom officers

can check anybody anytime. After the April TA on the Epic custom officers were Standing together laughing and not checking anyone.

[oldhamlass]

We were also on the TA and disembarked on Friday. We had transfers as part of our package. Our allocated time to leave was 7.30am, we were actually called at 7.15. We breezed through baggage collection, no stopping for customs at all. The airport transfer was about 30 mins. Security at the airport has quite long queues but they moved quite quickly. Enjoy your cruise, we loved ours!

Sarah

[Samstress]

We were on a recent cruise that arrived back to Barcelona at 5AM. I opted to book the NCL Airport shuttle for our ride to the airport. Our flight was at 11AM & I decided that the cost of the shuttle was worth the $30 per person. It was very well organized & you disembark depending on your return flight time. We were on the shuttle bus at around 6:30 AM.

I must say that the airport was a zoo. We waited 2 hours to just check in! I'm not sure whether there was a work to rule going on but they were terribly understaffed.

Anyway, in hindsight I could have just grabbed a cab at the port and been to the airport in plenty of time.

Either way...we made our 11AM flight...

[Petitbotcottage]

I'm not sure whether there was a work to rule going on but they were terribly understaffed.

 

Remember that you were in Spain. !! Mañana

[Samstress]

Remember that you were in Spain. !! Mañana

 

To give the attendants some credit...there were probably a hundred students who showed up at differing times & were pushing into the lines to be with their friends (climbing under barriers, ropes, etc.) . I am assuming they were on a school vacay...but lots of people were complaining & it amazed me that the students chaperones who were visible did nothing to discourage this behaviour. Several people in line complained to no avail (I was one of them!). Even their parents watched this behaviour and did nothing...they actually encouraged their children to push past other people in line so they could be first.

[Vol fan]

We just disembarked the Epic in Barcelona on the 14th also. We got in line at 8:20 to get off of the ship and waited in line for over 45 minutes to get off of the ship and another 45 to go through passport control.

A minibus was picking 8 of us up at 9:30 and he had to wait until 10:50 for us all to get there. It was a nightmare. We thought an hour and 10 minutes was plently of time to allow. Wrong. I was on the phone with their dispatch begging them not to let him leave 4 times.

[hawkeyetlse]

Just to clarify for the OP and others: on April 14 the Epic was arriving in Barcelona after a Transatlantic sailing from Florida. Disembarkation for these cruises is more complicated, and people booked on them should keep that in mind and plan accordingly.

 

But the OP is sailing in June, when the Epic will be doing its weekly Western Med routine. Disembarkation is typically pretty painless, because the itinerary stays completely within the Schengen Area (and because some of the passengers will be staying on until Rome, so they probably won't be in line to get off the ship at 5am).

[nellydean]

What is a reasonable time to expect to be off the ship in Barcelona? We are planning a trip for the end of June and the flights home are earlier that I usually feel comfortable. However it says 5:00 am so if we can easily be off the ship by 6 and at the airport by 8:30 a 10:40 seems OK?

Any help for this Europe first timer very appreciated.

 

Just disembarked Barcelona yesterday morning. Due to the ship being full, and our flight at 10.50am, we booked a ship's transfer which, in retrospect, turned out to be an expensive mistake. We were up at 5.15, and at the airport by 6.40 and so had a 4-hr wait, while a family at the next table to us in the airport's eating area said they self disembarked at 7.30 and had no trouble getting a taxi.

 

So, it's up to you.

 

A word of warning: Despite our very long wait, our flight with easyjet was still 40 minutes late taking off, as we had to wait about 20 minutes for 25 passengers caught up in extra security, and then missed our slot. However, if you were at the airport at a reasonable amount of time beforehand, and went straight through security, I am sure you would be fine.

[KeithJenner]

Just to clarify for the OP and others: on April 14 the Epic was arriving in Barcelona after a Transatlantic sailing from Florida. Disembarkation for these cruises is more complicated, and people booked on them should keep that in mind and plan accordingly.

 

But the OP is sailing in June, when the Epic will be doing its weekly Western Med routine. Disembarkation is typically pretty painless, because the itinerary stays completely within the Schengen Area (and because some of the passengers will be staying on until Rome, so they probably won't be in line to get off the ship at 5am).

 

Yes, this is a big difference.

 

I don't think that it's as much to do with not leaving the Schengen area, but more to do with them being round trip cruises.

 

I've now disembarked in Barcelona, Copenhagen and Venice many times on round trip cruises, some of which included places like Casablanca, Israel, St Petersburg, Turkey and others, and the total amount of time that I have spent on any immigration or customs at the disembarkation port is still zero.

 

It's always possible that on a particular cruise they may decide to do some checks, but in my experience it just doesn't happen on these round trip cruises in Europe.

 

As Hawkeyetise says, the transatlantic cruise is different, and experiences on that cruise don't reflect what people will encounter now the round trips have started.

[CruiseMH]

So far i`ve never had any problems getting off the ship within 20 Minutes after the docking in the port on any european cruise.

As long as the ship only docks at ports in shengen area there will be most likely no security checks,immigration procedures or anything like that at all.

Even on cruises that left the shengen area(canary islands and St.Petersburg) there was no check at all.

[BKNYChick]

17I disembarked from the Epic in Barcelona yesterday, (4/23/17). The Epic docked by 4:30am and I had a 9:40am flight. Utilized the "easy walk off" option and was off the ship by 6:45am, at the airport by 7:30am with plenty time for flight. You should be fine if you plan and execute with precision. ;-)